


Some Nights

by Canadian_girl2000



Series: Whumptober 2020 [3]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Dick Grayson Gets a Hug, Dick Grayson Has Issues, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, Jason Todd is a good brother, Let my Boys be happy DC, Nightmares, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:20:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26832052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Canadian_girl2000/pseuds/Canadian_girl2000
Summary: Nightmares were a common occurrence for the bats. Dick used to go to Bruce when he had them as Robin, but he'd been away so long and alone for so long that he had to learn to deal with them alone. When he notices his brothers suffering from nightmares, he steps in to make sure they aren't alone.Jason notices the pattern and soon finds out how Dick deals with his nightmares. He calls a younger brother's meeting and together they try to help their older brother.Whumptober day 3: Insomnia
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne
Series: Whumptober 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946773
Comments: 5
Kudos: 283





	Some Nights

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, this is 2 days late. It was also written between 11:00 pm and 1:30 am, so any mistakes can be blamed on me being dumb and not going to sleep. 
> 
> The title is from the song Some Nights by Fun.
> 
> Anyways, hope you guys enjoy this fic!

Nightmares were a common occurrence for the Bats. 

On Dick’s first night in the manor, he’d dreamt about the death of his parents and he’d woken up screaming. He’d sat in the dark, crying before slipping out of bed and climbing up to the roof. He’d sat there for hours, looking up at the dark Gotham sky. Unlike back at the circus, not a single star could be seen through the thick layer of clouds that seemed to always be above Gotham. At some point after sunrise, a panicked Bruce found him. He’d sat down next to him and asked him what was wrong and Dick had told him. Bruce had pulled him in for a hug and told him that he could always go to him if something was wrong. And so Dick had, every time he woke up screaming he would crawl into Bruce’s bed. They would talk about it and Bruce would hug him until he fell asleep again. It had been a tradition until he’d gotten fired from being Robin.

That had brought on a whole new onslaught of nightmares. Nightmares about Bruce hating him, and then some about Bruce’s new Robin, about being replaced. But this time, there was no one for him to talk to.

Then Jason died and the nightmares doubled. He’d let his little brother die and done nothing to help. He could imagine Jason’s disappointment in him, his anger at him for not attending his funeral. At one point it had gotten so bad he couldn’t sleep without waking up screaming barely an hour later. So he stopped sleeping as much, worked himself to the bone so he would just collapse of exhaustion and be too tired to dream.

When Tim came along, things started to get better. He and Bruce were on speaking terms and he would come by the manor when he had time off work. It felt nice to be a part of a family again. He still woke up screaming sometimes, still saw Jason’s ghost in the shadows of the cave but things were looking up. 

Then Jason came back, and he was on a warpath. Jason was mad at everyone and was trying to kill Tim and Bruce. The nightmares picked up again and he tried his best to protect Tim. He tried his best to talk to Jason but it was near impossible for months. When Jason finally calmed down enough not to shoot him on sight, he managed to make a truce with him. With time, things started to mellow out. Jason had even started to get along with Tim and Dick couldn’t believe his luck. His whole family wasn’t actively trying to kill another member of said family.

The next thing he knew Bruce had a son. A tiny, angry, assassin son. Then Bruce died and everything collapsed. Jason was fighting for the cowl even though he didn’t want it, Dick gave Damian Robin and lost Tim in the process. Wayne Enterprises was expecting him to pick up all of Bruce’s responsibilities, as was the Justice League. He suddenly had a kid to raise and no help, bar Alfred. So many things had happened in so little time and Dick couldn’t handle it. 

Somehow, Tim brought Bruce back and everything was turned on its head. Tim was being distant, who knew what Jason was off doing and Damian was back with Bruce. The weight of the world was lifted from his shoulders so fast it sent him reeling.

Things cooled down for a while before it all came crashing down again. Damian died, he got unmasked and Lex Luthor killed him. But he came back and everyone had been told he was dead. Permanently. Bruce told him he was being sent to stop Spyral and he begged. Begged to not go. Begged to at least let him tell his family he was alive. He was denied each and everything. He was carted off with no extraction plan and only a secure line to Bruce.

He would sit up at night, trying to understand why his luck was so bad, why the universe hated him so much. He would lay awake trying to figure out who he was and most nights, he couldn’t come up with an answer. Some nights, he would wish that it would all end. That he could go home to his family, that he could go see his friends. He was scared Bruce would forget about him.

And Bruce did. Bruce lost his memories and he was left to die all alone. But Dick didn’t. He made it back to his brothers, to Damian who was alive and well. But Jason and Tim hated him. They were understandably mad, but Dick couldn’t help but sit up at night, wondering if he’d screwed up beyond repair. His nightmares worsened and he stopped sleeping all together again. He just needed someone to talk to.

Bruce came back again. Tim and Jason forgave him. He was slowly coming back to his family. They were working together, and he couldn’t be happier. Sleep still eluded him, but he could manage. He would hang around the manor a lot more and he was happy.

That’s when he started to notice things. It was no secret that their lifestyle would lead to many sleepless nights and nightmares, hell, he was living proof. So when he noticed his brothers struggling, he stepped in to help. He could remember how much easier it had been when Bruce would hug him and listen to his nightmares. He could remember how awful it was to wake up screaming only to be alone, with no one to talk to.

He started picking up on the cues. On nights where there were thunderstorms, Jason would always wake up screaming. He doubted Jason would care for the hug, or for talking, so he helped in more subtle ways. Whenever he knew there would be a thunderstorm, he’d try to be in Gotham. He would throw the invitation of a movie or a game night in the air. He would sit with Jason in the library and keep him distracted. He would invite him to his apartment and play music loud enough to drown out the thunder. He did whatever he could think of to make sure Jason would never be alone like he was.

With Tim, the cues were a lot harder to pick up. Tim seemed to always be half asleep and downing coffee. It took time, but he figured it out. When Tim drank twice as much coffee and immersed himself in a case for hours upon hours, Dick knew something was wrong. He would hang around on those nights, ready to be there for his little brother. When Tim inevitably woke up from a nightmare and stumbled his way to the kitchen, Dick would already be there, ready to offer comfort in any way he could. It’s not like he would be sleeping either way, and this was the best way to ensure Tim didn’t end up like him.

Damian was even harder to figure out. He had been raised in The League of Assassins, where any weakness was frowned upon. But Dick didn’t give up. On bad days Damian would be clingy, or about as clingy as Damian could be. He would stand closer to either Bruce or Dick. He wouldn’t rise to any bait thrown at him by Jason or Tim. He would spend the day either training or in his room with his various pets. That was the tell for Damian’s bad nights. Then rose the problem of approaching Damian. He would not leave his room after nightmares, so Dick found a way to stay with him. He would insist on a sleepover, to which Damian would respond with a scoff, but would allow anyway. The bed was big enough for two people, so Dick would lie awake next to his littlest brother and wait. When Damian woke up screaming or sobbing, Dick would pull him into a hug and whisper comfort to him. Damian would deny everything the next day, but at least this way he would never be alone at night.

  
  


* * *

Jason was beginning to notice a pattern. Any time there was a thunderstorm, Dick would always be around to distract him and he was grateful. He never brought it up though. 

Then Jason noticed, on a quiet night, when he snuck into the manor to steal some of Alfred’s food, that Dick was sitting alone in the kitchen. He waited in the shadows, hoping Dick would go to bed so he could resume his food heist, but his brother didn’t move. He seemed to be waiting for something, but Jason had no idea what. He was about to say “fuck it” and go on with the heist when he heard footsteps approaching. He ducked back into the shadows as Tim shuffled his way into the kitchen. From where he stood, he could see the tear tracks on Tim’s face. He watched Dick get up and open his arms. Tim stared for a second before walking into Dick’s embrace. Dick hugged his brother tightly and whispered Jason couldn’t hear what into his younger brother's ear.

“Do you want to talk about it, Timmy?” Dick asked softly into Tim’s hair. Tim only shook his head in response. 

“It might help to talk about it,” Dick said, and Jason turned around. He felt like he was intruding on a private moment, so he left.

He noticed it happen three more times. Each time, Dick would already be up and waiting for Tim in the kitchen. Each time, Dick would offer a hug and an ear. Every time Tim would accept.

He didn’t notice the pattern with Damian right away. His older brother was notorious for doing sleepovers or movie nights, and Jason thought he was just trying to soften Damian’s attitude. But on one of the rare nights he was staying at the manor, on a night Dick had demanded a sleepover, he heard the scream from Damian’s room while walking to his own room. He quickly made his way to Damian’s door but stopped before opening it. He could hear a voice inside. He pressed his ear to the door and he could make out Dick’s muffled whispers. Knowing his older brother had it under control, he continued his trek to his room.

A few weeks later, Dick was demanding another sleepover from Damian, who scoffed but relented. That night, Jason stayed in the hallway near Damian’s room. He’d been standing there for a few hours when the scream rang out. He silently made his way to the door and pressed his ear against it. Just like last time, Dick was whispering sweet nothings to Damian. Jason backed away from the door and went to his room.

* * *

Dick looked dead on his feet. That was the first thing Jason noticed when he walked into the manor. His older brother had a fake smile on his face and he seemed seconds from tumbling over. Jason watched as the acrobat walked around without the usual spring in his step. He seemed distant. During patrol, Dick did zero flips. There was no showing off of any kind. No quips, no puns. Nothing.

So Jason followed him to his apartment when patrol ended. Thankfully, Dick didn’t go back to Blüdhaven but stayed in one of his Gotham safe houses. He watched his brother climb up the fire escape, then in through his window. Jason waited a few minutes, before following him. He didn’t go in but stayed near the window. It spoke levels about Dick’s state that he didn’t notice him there. His brother poured himself a bowl of cereal and stared into it, taking a few spoonfuls before dumping the rest in the sink. Dick disappeared into the bathroom before coming back out in a pair of sweats and a baggy hoodie. He stood there for a few moments, staring at nothing, before turning off the lights and heading into the bedroom. Jason knew it was weird to watch someone sleep, but he had a bad feeling. Dick lay in bed, flat on his back and staring at the ceiling for well over an hour. He eventually turned over and tossed and turned for another hour or so. When he finally did fall asleep, it seemed anything but peaceful. From his spot on the fire escape, Jason could barely make out Dick’s face in the dark, the moonlight seeping into the room was the only source of light. Dick’s face was contorted into a grimace and Jason could see him mumbling. The tossing and turning started up again and suddenly Dick woke up with a scream Jason heard from outside the window. His brother looked around the room before putting his head in his hands. Jason could see his shoulders shaking as he cried into his hands. Jason felt guilty. He wanted to step in and help, but he knew Dick wouldn’t react well to Jason snooping, or to Jason seeing him like this. This called for extreme measures. 

The next day, Dick was still off. His smile still seemed fake, and there was still a lack of acrobatic tricks during patrol. Jason followed him home, perching on the fire escape once more. He watched his older brother go through the same routine. But this time, instead of going to bed, Dick simply sat on the couch. He didn’t turn the TV on. He just sat. The whole night, Jason watched his brother sit on the couch without doing much more than sipping at a glass of water.

The day after that was the same. Dick was still smiling that fake smile. Dick was still not doing any acrobatic tricks. Dick stayed up all night once again.

On the third day, Jason watched his brother run himself ragged with work. Dick was constantly working on something, even though he seemed exhausted. Old case files, new cases, training Damian. Anything that required work, Dick was doing. Jason followed him back that night as well. He watched Dick sit on the couch and open up his laptop. He watched his brother type away some report or another for a few hours. Then his brother stopped. Jason watched Dick’s head fall back against the couch as his older brother crashed. He stayed the whole night, watching to make sure that no nightmares would disturb Dick’s sleep. 

Jason kept up his nightly watch for another week. He had found the pattern. Any night Dick would try to sleep he would be woken up by nightmares. For two days after, Dick would stay up all day and night. On the third day, he would work himself to the bone only to crash on his couch hours later in a dreamless sleep. This couldn’t go on.

Jason called a younger brother's meeting. It was time to bring in the big guns.

* * *

“What do you want, Todd?” Damian said the second Jason stepped into the library. Damian was sitting on the couch, Titus curled up against him. He seemed annoyed at having been called away from whatever he was doing. Tim was sitting on the couch opposite him, typing away on his laptop.

“Have you guys noticed anything off about Dick?” Jason asked, taking a seat next to Tim. Both boys stayed quiet for a moment, contemplating the question.

“Now that you mention it, yeah. He does seem off.” Tim replied, closing his laptop. “Do you know why?” 

Jason explained everything he had noticed about Dick’s behaviour. He told his brothers about the sleep pattern Dick followed and watched as their faces fell. 

“How did I not notice?” Damian asked, in a frustrated tone.

“That’s not all. I’ve noticed more patterns Dick follows.” Jason turned to Tim. “Every time you have a nightmare he’s always in the kitchen waiting for you,” he turned to Damian, “and every time you do, he’s already in your room, waiting to comfort you.”

“How did- Never mind. I see your point. Dick’s always here for us, but no one is ever there for him.” Tim surmised.

Damian jumped off the couch, startling Titus in the progress. “Something must be done. Grayson can not be allowed to go on like this.” He stated firmly.

“Agreed.” Tim turned to Jason, “What do we do?”

Tim’s question caught Jason off guard. What DID they do? How could they help Dick? Jason went back through the patterns in his head once more. Then it clicked.

“Movie night,” he said, “We’ll host a movie night in his room here. Then a sleepover. Dick’s bed is big enough for us all, so it shouldn’t be a problem. If he has a nightmare, we’ll all be there for him.” Tim and Damian were both on board. The only issue was getting Dick to go with it.

The next day went by relatively fast. Dick still seemed off, even when Jason approached him. In the most un-Dick-like fashion, his older brother said no to a sleepover. Jason insisted, but Dick refused to budge. Jason had to pull the ‘brotherly bonding’ card before Dick begrudgingly agreed.

That night, they all piled into Dick’s room. Dick still seemed a little unwilling to go through with it, but he was smiling at Damian and Tim, who were arguing over what movie to watch. They eventually came to an agreement, and the boys settled onto Dick’s bed, backs propped up against the headboard. 

Jason wasn’t usually one for hugs, but he knew Dick needed one. So he sat next to Dick, leg pressed up against his and pulled his older brother's head onto his shoulder. Dick made a sound of confusion, but he shushed him, running his hand through Dick’s hair. Damian was pressed against Dick’s other side, his head resting over his brother's heart. Tim sat next to Damian, his foot reaching out to touch Dick’s. The movie played in the background as Jason kept running his hand through his Dick’s hair. He was watching the acrobat out of the corner of his eye. Dick was a little tense, but Jason could see his eyes begging to droop. Eventually, Dick fell asleep. Tim looked over when Damian touched him with his foot. When he noticed Dick, he muted the TV.

Jason sat awake as Dick slept on and as Damian and Tim slowly succumbed to sleep as well. He was slowly nodding off when he felt Dick twitch. He snapped back awake when Dick started mumbling. He couldn’t make out what his brother was saying but he caught the word ‘sorry’ on multiple occasions.

“Wake up Dick,” he said, lightly shaking his brother. He saw Damian’s head pop up as Dick twitched again. Damian’s half-asleep eyes watched as Jason tried to wake the older up, to no avail.

“DICK! Wake up!” 

Dick shot up, his head nearly colliding with Jason’s, a silent scream on his lips. Tears were streaming down his face and he didn’t seem to notice the other three in the room.

“Grayson?” Damian asked quietly. Dick’s head snapped to look at him. His eyes were glassy. 

When he noticed his brothers, Dick wiped the tears from his face with shaky hands. “Sorry. Sorry. I-I’m okay.” 

At Dick’s words, Jason felt fury rise in him. He watched his brother pretend to be okay, watched him wipe away the tears. Jason hated whoever had done this to him. 

Jason reached over and pulled him into a hug. “You’re allowed not to be okay, Dickie.” he said, arms tightening around his brother as he felt him shake.

“No, 'm not. I can’t. I- I have to be okay.” And Jason felt his anger rise some more.

“Shut up!” he yelled and Dick flinched back so hard he left the hug. Damian was staring at him wide-eyed, and Tim, who’d woken up at the scream was looking on in confusion. But Jason's eyes were set on Dick’s, who was looking at him in fear. His older brother was trying to inch away from him and it broke Jason’s heart. He supposed he deserved that, especially with how he reacted to Dick coming back from Spyral. He took a deep breath and counted to three before speaking.

“Dick, you don’t always have to be okay. You’re allowed to have bad days and bad nights. You’re allowed to ask for help, to ask for comfort.” 

Dick shook his head slowly. “I can’t. I’m the older brother. I need to be okay. I need to be strong.” 

And Jason wanted to cry. His big brother. His big brother that was always there for them, for his friends didn’t think he deserved help or a break. And when he thought about it, it made sense. Ever since he could remember, Dick was always taking on lots of responsibilities. From when Jason was Robin, to when Damian first arrived and then when Spyral happened Dick must have been so alone. Dick was a social person. He needed contact. To have been left alone in unknown territory only to come back and to be given the cold shoulder must have been awful. But he’d just taken it. He hadn’t defended himself. And still, when he noticed his younger brother's suffering he had stepped in to help regardless. 

“I need you to listen to me, Dick. You are not alone, okay? You don’t need to take on the world alone. If you don’t want to go to Bruce, or the baby birds, come to me. I need you to know you can always come to me, okay? For whatever, whenever. I’ll always be here for you” Jason said, reaching out for Dick. He watched Dick’s face crumple and he pulled him back into a hug. He held on tight as Dick’s body shook, as he sobbed away years of lonely nights. Damian and Tim pressed themselves against their older brothers.

“As Todd says, you can always come to me if you need to, Richard” Damian said, voice muffled by Dick’s side.

“Me too Dick. If you ever need anything, you can talk to me” Tim said, and Dick shook even more.

“Ya hear that Big Bird? You ever need anything, anything at all, you can come to us. You’re not alone.” Jason repeats. As Dick continues to cry, he makes a promise. No matter what, he would always be there for his brother. And no matter how long, they would fix Dick’s sleeping pattern, even if it meant sleepovers every night.

* * *

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**Author's Note:**

> I honestly feel like Dick is DC's punching bag. Let my boy be happy goddammit. So glad the whole 'Ric' nightmare is over. I just want to see my boys bonding, okay?
> 
> Dick's been through so much shit I could write a whole essay about it, so I narrowed it down to a few key things. 
> 
> Anyways, I'll upload days 4 and 5 later today, so see you guys soon.


End file.
